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Statement of the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children In Response to the Tragic Events

New York, NY

The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children shares the profound sorrow of the world community in the face of last week’s ruthless attack on innocent civilians and members of the armed services in New York City and Washington, DC. We wish to express our condolences to the victims of the attacks and their families.

These actions must be understood as not only an attack on the United States, but an assault on the principles of respect for human life and democracy shared by all freedom-loving peoples around the world. We have found solace in the outpouring of support and empathy that has come to our offices from refugees and asylum seekers with whose communities we have worked over the years. In the words of one refugee youth from the Former Soviet Union to our headquarters in New York, "I love your city and its citizens as if it was my homeland."

The coming days will offer a challenge the magnitude of which has never before been faced by our country and its friends. The crimes inflicted cannot go unanswered. Yet, the wrong response may also ultimately result in victory for the perpetrators. We must not stray from the very ideals which define us: liberty, tolerance and peace.

We call upon our government and our fellow citizens to embrace the best that has been demonstrated during this ordeal. The firefighters and other public servants have set for us an ideal based on courage and compassion for which we should all strive.

As we further define our national response to this tragedy, we call upon our leaders to respect the lives of civilians who may be trapped in countries the leadership of which has cooperated in terrorism. Repeatedly, we have seen that the vast majority of refugees uprooted by armed conflict have been women and children, many of whom have also been the victims of renegade governments which care little about their citizens.

Equally, we urge that individual citizens not act on their anger by lashing out at their Arab neighbors or others who appear "foreign." There have been several disturbing incidences of attacks on newcomers, at least one of which resulted in the further loss of life. While prejudice and hostility against immigrants and refugees is not new to our society, now is a time to resist such base instincts and stand together as a community. The victims themselves reflect the many nationalities that woven together as one constitute the fabric of our national community.

If these principles guide our actions in the days to come, we will be strengthened by our respect for humanity. We will win against the terrorists. Their corrosive acts will stand in isolation, condemned by the world community.